Too long, and it’s not like I’ve had droves of complaints and requests to get back to it… it’s just that I needed to, physiologically and mentally.

See I’ve been working non-stop, roaring-twenties style but with new millenium tech… I have multiple interests I’ve been pursuing, a couple of playground projects, plus my own exclusive client work.

Top that with running and operating two businesses I have major stakes in and you have a pretty stacked life.

But I’m loving it!

I’m loving it because in the words of a tagline I created for a friend of mine who happens to own the most honest and prolific yacht sales/acquision consulting firm in South Florida, Andy Silva… (if you’re in the market for a big boat, check him out at: www.yachtconsultinggroup.com)

“It’s not a lifestyle unless you live it on your own terms”

The one thing that blogging always did for me was to create a rip channel, a narrow pathway for my shore waters to get back out to sea.

I only understood how visceral that need was until my office furniture was entirely blanketed with yellow blocks, and notes, and moleskines all over the place.

I learned this while in this whirlpool of content and creativity; the moment you start to feel stressed when doing what you love, something needs to change. But don’t change your passion, change your process.

By the way… What’s your top money making skill?

You’ll be surprise how many people don’t have a specific and quantifiable answer to this question!

…IT’S FLABBERGASTING!

You see when you are a writer you write… I mean you read and write, but mostly you write. You write your thoughts down, your feelings, observations, ideas, plans, sales letters, promos, ads, evil schemes and heists!

Writing is how I make sense of it all. It’s also how I make money because if my emails, ads and promos don’t perform I don’t get paid the big bucks!

The thing is when I don’t write this way (meaning in a way that focuses my thoughts and ideas) my thinking becomes circular and chaotic, and so are my results.

When I write in this format (with discipline and presence) my thinking is organized and focused… and so are my results.

What regular blogging does (at least for me!) is to organize those thoughts in calendar order even if I don’t hit publish right away.

I can’t tell you how intoxicating and mind-bending the feeling of letting your mind freestyle away is.

My unsolicited advice to you, is take to your unique skill the way a crack addict takes to his pipe… In daily desperation and with tunnel vision focus.

Something else happens, when I blog I create an unspoken agreement that what I write I’ll publish… at some point. Like a social contract of sorts. This will keep me fresh in people’s inbox and front and center on my favorite social media channels.

So if writing, creating videos, selling on the phone, or designing websites is your thing… get after it, find your process!

Do it daily, get better at it. Treat your talent with the respect it deserves, and don’t ever think it’s either enough to succeed, or that it will never decay… because mediocrity is always waiting for you to get complacent about how much talent you think you freaking have. Forget all than nonsense!

Writing and producing compelling, persuading and entertaining content is what I enjoy doing the most in my business …the thing is… it is also what most people, businesses and projects are in desperate need of, but guess what… Most don’t even know it!

Most businesses downplay or outright ignore message strategy altogether, instead they focus on what I call “tactical beauty”, which is usually devoid of any real thinking or client-centric strategy.

The power of your words, when properly and effectively applied, engage both the conscious and the subconscious mind. Meaning that a properly crafted and positioned message, with a strong value prop, targeted to the right audience will have an effect at different levels of someone’s psyche, which will usually prompt them to take action.

Just remember, before you touch the brain you must touch the heart! …Also, don’t forget, if your product, service or you SUCK …it won’t matter what words you choose!

To illustrate just how important it is for you to shift your thinking on this topic, here’s a video I usually point customers, clients and prospects to in order to describe not only what I do, but the mindset they must have when it comes to creating content and copy for their businesses and organizations… Enjoy!

The secret to better care in hospitals is about aligning providers to patients. The question of course, is how? The way we do it is by creating an immersive environment based upon data. The end result is that people change. The ideas that surround them, help connect people in a deep, emotional way. –@gapingvoid

What I love about this idea, what I find powerful about it… is that it’s premised on the belief that “people change”.

If you’ve spent any time in the healthcare trenches you instinctively know this is a novel concept.

Why? Because the level of bureaucracy, cynicism, and apathy in healthcare is the highest of any industry.

Healthcare is in dire need of change, specifically a culture change. No wonder listening to the guys from

No wonder listening to the guys from healthUX @gapingvoid lead the conversation with empathy, better experiences, and deeper connections between healthcare providers and patients fills you with hope and wonder about the future in this space.

The good people in the industry need to hear this, they need to feel the energy around it if they want a change in culture.

The focus must be on the people with the right attitude and on patients and their families!

You hear the buzz, people talking, you see it online, read it on magazines, it’s everywhere!

Everyone is telling you to look into social media for your business!

But the information is overwhelming, plus you wonder, does it really work?

You may be thinking, “I’m financial planner, a dentist, a retailer… I’m not a marketer or a media company, plus my patients are not online anyway!”

I understand, I do… But listen, don’t be the guy that bought 500 horses in 1907… Why?

Because the Model T made its debut in 1908 with a purchase price of $825.00. Over ten thousand were sold in its first year, establishing a new record. Four years later the price dropped to $575.00 and sales soared. By 1914, Ford could claim a 48% share of the automobile market.

…and you are stuck with 900 ponies at an Avg price of $300 a piece …and guess what!!? You lost!

Don’t be that guy …bet on the future, bet on progress, especially when your business, your life, depends on it!

So here’s what you need to know first before you do something about it:

You are not what you do, today you are a media/marketing company first, then you are everything you went to school for!

Produce content in the right context in any form that provides value, answers questions, and solves problems for the people that pay you for what you do or sell.

Educate yourself when it comes to marketing your specific business online …the information is out there, make the time!

Today the market decides how good, and therefore how valuable you are. Your income will reflect your value in the marketplace.

Respect people’s time above everything else.

Learn to engage with millennials and centennials (boomers, it just rhymed!), they have the man and the purchasing power.

The number one thing you are competing for along with everyone else is one and one thing only: Attention

Mobile phone screens are where the attention is. Phones are the gateway to people’s minds, hearts, and pubic areas. Make sure you show up on people’s phone in the context of all 3, or at least 2 of the 3.

You need to have an effective presence on at least 3-4 of these social channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube, Snapchat, Vine, Pinterest, Medium, Anchor …and be on the lookout for new platforms. Learn the user psychology of each of these.

You need to start telling stories in video micro-segments that lead to bigger micro-segments…

You must have a website that does only 3 things: educates/informs and offers solutions to problems – collects emails (builds an email list) – and generates leads and sales.

A New Year’s resolution is a tradition, in which a person makes a promise to do an act of goodwill or self-improvement starting New Year’s Day.

We are all too familiar with some of these resolutions, for example:

Lose a few pounds

Start exercising

Improve mental well-being

Improve financial status

Self-improvement and personal development

Make new friends

Find that special person

Read more

Travel more, be more adventurous

Reduce stress

Make more money, save more money, spend less

Find a better job

Be more spiritual, find a connection with your creator

Give more, volunteer and be more philanthropic

Call your parents more often

Grow closer to your spouse and kids

Buy a pet

Get more clients and customers

This list can be as long as you have goals.

With deep religious origins, ancient civilizations were well versed in the practice.

Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year. The Romans began each year by making promises to the God Janus. In the Medieval era, knights took the “peacock vow” at the end of the Christmas season each year in order to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry.

But don’t worry …they also broke promises and quit on their resolutions, just like we do!

Statistically, by January 15th ninety-five percent of people break, forget, or quit on their New Year’s resolutions.

But why?

We felt so committed to making changes. What made us walk away with such indifference just a few days later?

We’ve all done this, there’s no point in hiding or justifying it. There’s also no point in re-living it.

But, we need to first figure out why we failed in the past so that we know how not to blow it this New Year!

Here’s why we’ve failed in the past:

We weren’t asking the right questions!

Most of us, when faced with a challenge or goal, begin by asking a question …and it’s a good question, but it’s also a premature one!

What do I need to do? …to lose weight, to gain weight, to make more money, to be more social, to meet more people, to have the life I want.

We focus on the “What”. This is the wrong question, at absolutely the worse time!

In the quest for success at anything, you must first think strategically!

Here are the 3 keyquestions you need to be asking when looking to make changes:

The “Who”

The “Why”

The “What”

In this order!

Who do I need to become?In your mind, what do you aspire to be? … and start modeling that behavior even if you haven’t achieved the results you want. Find a role model, a mentor, or a powerful idea and start behaving congruently with that vision and in line with your newly created identity.

Why do I want to achieve this goal? If you don’t have a strong reason to change or achieve “that” something in your life, you will quit at the first sign of push back, and believe me, life will push back! So the stronger your reasons to stay in the fight, the better your chances to not only survive but thrive in adversity. Find a powerful reason, a meaningful “Why” …and look at it every day!

What do I need to do? Now it’s time to ask this question because your head’s in the right place! The first 2 questions get you in the right mindset. This question is about how to take massive action, set the parameters, figure out the tactics and the mechanics. What rituals and systems need to be in place for you to succeed? This question is about first organizing and then putting in the work and action that fuels your desire.

This 3 step formula has helped me achieve things in my life I never thought I could do. Now I’m passing it on.

I wish you Happy Holidays and a meaningful, permanent and successful New Year’s resolution!

Aren’t you tired of living in obscurity and neglect? Watching other companies and people swipe the clients and customers you should be getting while you live your life wishing and wanting but never achieving?

I hate that feeling!

But look! -You have to decide what kind of company you want to be.

I kept it simple, I want to inspire people. I want them to see their business in a brand new way …a better way, and I’m confident I can help!

If you are pitching someone who’s not inspired or doesn’t have enough imagination to be a better version of themselves with your help, then don’t take them as a client, don’t work with them!

What I want to share with you today will GUARANTEE you success IF you stick to just one basic rule.

This super-simple formula will allow you to build exactly the kind of business you dream of -with only the clients you envision working with -and to create the kind of business that will give you the lifestyle you’ve always wanted.

Don’t you want to be in constant demand, be booked months in advanced, and have a waiting list of prospects turning down your competitors because they must see you?

If you like the sound of that, then you must do this:

MAKE YOURSELF WANTED, NEVER NEEDED!

Take a minute to reflect on this, because it’s either going to make total sense to you and hit you like a Mike Tyson right hook, or you won’t get it, and you will stop reading right here while you curse me and my entire family!

By the way…that would be a shame because I know you can make this work. But please do yourself a favor, KEEP READING.

You may say to yourself, but I already do that… I make myself EXTRA-wanted, and I say to you: NO YOU DON’T!

Thinking and wishing are not the same as working and getting results, the results you really, really want!

I don’t mean to come in like a bull in a china shop with this advice, and believe me I want you to make it out like a bandit at whatever you do, but it makes my blood boil when I see incredibly sharp and talented people choosing to work with clients that don’t appreciate them and are totally devoid of inspiration and creativity!

The money is almost always – NOT WORTH IT.

Are you still a doubting Thomas? -Let me prove it by asking you…

Why are you in business, most specifically, why do you offer the services or products you do?

Most people will answer:

Because I’m filling a need in the marketplace, people NEED what I have, I do a great job, I’m priced in the right range, and I’m unique in the way I deliver my product or service!

And this answer is also why most people are getting their ass kicked and on the road to oblivion.

oblivion: [uh-bliv-ee-uh n] – The state of being completely forgotten or unknown. The act or process of dying out; complete annihilation or extinction.

Think about it for a second. Haven’t the most important decisions, and by most important I mean the ones that have affected your life in the most profound way, been made out of wants more so than needs?

Think hard now and give me an honest effort! 🙂

Did you want or need to get married?

Did you want or need to drive the car of your dreams?

Did you want or need kids?

Does a woman need or desperately wants to make love to a man she secretly daydreams about?

Do you need or want to lose 40 pounds? The fact is that no one that says “I need to lose 40 pounds” actually does it. Only the ones that REALLY FREAKING WANT to change their lives for the better ACTUALLY do it!

Do you want or need to summit Everest?

Do you want or need to be an Olympian?

Need I go on?

So why don’t you stack the deck in your favor for once!

Everything that ignites a purpose-driven life and the ACTION that precedes is based on deep burning desires, not mere needs!

So I ask you once again.

How do you want the world to relate to you … via deep desire or basic need?

Do you want to be perceived as a mere need, a necessary evil, a reluctant obligation?

Or do you want to be seen as someone who people say: “This is the guy I want to work with” “This is the company I want to be associated with” “These are the guys that get what I’m about”

I’m done here …anymore talking and I’ll come across as If I’m trying to convince you of inevitability (which is, you are great already! Just show me!), and like my grandfather used to tell me:

Don’t ever try to convince anyone of the inevitable, you’ll look like a jackass! …Thanks Abuelo!

Oh, and just in case you are wondering how exactly you make yourself Wanted and not Needed, I’ll dive deeper on this topic soon!

Here’s one big business myth that’s pervasive both in the online and offline worlds:

We just need to get our name out there!

Not true today, it’s never been true, and it will never be true!

Your ad doesn’t need to get your name out, it needs to reel customers in.

Your content marketing and ads work only when they attract a targeted profile or customer you want to engage and sell your product or service to.

In order to make content marketing and advertising work, you need to know how both relate to each other, and what advertising really is: “Salesmanship in print”

Here’s a 3 step high-impact customer ad formula:

Step 1 – Make sure your headline is a total problem solver with a unique benefit. Keep it simple and focused on what they want to hear, touch and feel. Do not include your name or company info, nobody cares!

Step 2 – Do not mention the price. At this point they don’t want to be sold, in fact, NO ONE ever wants to be sold, but we do like to buy stuff don’t we! So appeal to the buyer in them, not the bargain hunter, keep price out of it, price is just a detail, not the deal itself.

Step 3 – Spend time working on your “Hook”. What is the one thing that YOU know they will react to? I know step 3 and Step 1 seem almost identical but they are not. The “Benefit” the “Offer”, the hook provides.

Everything we do online and offline needs to solve a problem, assuming your product is an awesome solution, just remember no one knows that yet!

They don’t know who you are, so the only way anyone is ever going to find out how awesome you are is by finding your copy more compelling than convincing and raising their hand to find out more.

A great father’s day gift is a combination of simplicity and careful pseudo-thoughtfulness. In the end it only needs to appeal to the lizard brain.

The criteria is simple:

Can I get instant gratification from it, does it temporarily fill the void of a much deeper and unknown desire, and can I and my ego bludgeon someone with it psychologically or physically …it doesn’t really matter which, either one will do!

Anyway hurry! Because you only have today and tomorrow left to get him what’s on this list!

Survival Life lifetime subscription – A man’s one stop shop to all things survival, outdoors, family protection, tools and survival disaster tips and programs. I spent most of my time in working with businesses in the digital world, Survival Life offers me an awesome pattern interrupt and totally different point of reference and a way to unplug.

The BBQ Briefcase – Impress you brother in law and friends! You will look like you know what you are doing with this BBQ set even if you can’t overcook a burger.

Audio-Technica AT-LP60 turntable – As a product of the 80’s I can’t just turn my back on throwback technology, even though I can’t live without my iphone, soundcloud, Pandora and the other 175 technologies I depend on to fulfill my existence and those of my clients!

The 80/20 Individual:How to Build on the 20% of What You do Best – THE 80/20 INDIVIDUAL, Richard Koch reveals the secret of their success: they discovered what they do better than anyone else and rode it for all its worth. Love this concept, grab it! It’ll change his life!

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything – I am now convinced that the most resourceful, smartest, mentally diverse and coolest people in this planet are astronauts! This would be a great gift for father’s day …great inspiration for fixing things around the house, but don’t tell him that when you give it to him, and definitely don’t say it was me!

If some of these don’t find their way to him today or tomorrow, there’s always birthdays and X-mas!

Either way Happy Father’s Day, and give your Dad a big kiss. I know mine’s getting a huge one 🙂

Claudio’s marketing strategy and advice has changed the way I look at business for the better and put our company on the map. He has coached me every step of the way and I still bug him sometimes for advice. Please follow and like us:

Jonathan Nalepa - Poolrangersinc.comOwner

Claudio is my go-to guy when it comes to social media and how to promote my products and services. His strategies drive the traffic I need and he is always available to service our needs. Please follow and like us:

Claudio has the innate ability to very quickly understand the marketing goals of an organization and orchestrate an executable marketing strategy. Please follow and like us:

Henry Zaldivar Cloud Technology Professional

Digital marketing is a central piece in any marketing strategy… and Claudio is one of the best digital marketers out there! His ability to help businesses take full advantage of social media, digital content, and in-bound marketing elements is unsurpassed. Please follow and like us: